4 Snack Recipes For Non-Stop Energy

Food52 helps people become better, smarter, happier cooks. Food52 was named 2012 Publication of the Year by the James Beard Foundation and won Best Culinary Website at the 2013 IACP awards.

Picture this: It's 3 p.m. on a dreary Tuesday. You're sitting at your desk, hunched over, zombie-like, looking at but not really seeing the ever-growing pile of emails on the glaring screen in front of you. You finished your lunch hours ago, and you're officially running on fumes. You need some sort of sustenance to get you through to dinner. But, alas, your choices are limited: Will you turn to caffeine, sugar, or salt?

Enter R29 and Food52's carefully curated selection of supercharged snacks. We're ditching the sugar and salt for high-fiber, high-flavor options that are designed to help you refuel without any crashing or bloating. The best part? Most of these can be made in large batches, days in advance. Your afternoon has officially been saved.

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Cocoa Pear Crisps

These pear crisps aren't the most obvious cocktail-party snack — until you taste them, and it all becomes clear. You don't want to be eating big baked dishes at a party. You want somewhat light, intensely flavored food that can be eaten with your hands. The flavor of these delicious pears, which are seasoned with cocoa and spices, concentrates as they bake, and you end up with a chip that's warped and brown, like a fossilized pear. Don't bake them too long — you want crisp edges and slightly chewy centers. Pile them in a bowl, and make sure you tell your guests they're edible! They'll love you forever.

Directions
Preheat oven to 275°F. Halve each pear and use a melon baller to scoop out the core (including the stem).

Set a mandoline to the 1/8-inch setting, and slice each pear half into about 10 very thin slices. Occasionally, the 1/8-inch setting will cause the pears to mush or crumble. In this case, the 1/4-inch setting will work, though the crisps will need an extra 15 minutes or so in the oven.

Mix sugar and spices in small bowl. Place pear slices on rack set over baking sheet. Alternatively, place slices on silpat-lined baking sheet. Sprinkle the tops with spiced sugar. Bake until almost dry, about one hour, turning the slices over and the sheets around half way through to ensure even baking. Cool on rack or sheet. Store airtight up to two days.

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Herbed Butternut Squash Chips

These chips are a super-healthful, pop-in-your-mouth snacking option. Butternut squash and fresh herbs provide a serious dose of earthy cold-weather flavor. The best part? These crunchy crisps are not fried, so they're a great source of energy that won't weigh you down.

Directions
Heat the oven to 250°F and put a rack in the middle of the oven. Peel the squash and cut it in two, separating the thin end without seeds from the bulbous end. Scoop out the seeds with a spoon and discard them (or save and roast them if you're feeling energetic).

Slice the squash finely with a mandoline, about an 1/8-inch thick. You'll have nice neat rounds from the seedless end and pretty rings from the other end.

Toss the squash in a bowl with the herbs, olive oil, and salt. Line two baking sheets with parchment and spread out the squash slices in a single layer on the parchment. Bake for an hour, then flip the slices using tongs or a spatula. Bake for another hour. Turn the slices again, lower the heat to 200°F and bake for another hour. Turn off the oven, and let the chips cool in there for several hours or overnight. Remove from the parchment and serve, or store in an airtight container for up to a week.

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Five Minute, No-Bake Vegan Granola Bars

This bar can be whatever you want it to be. Add different kinds of dried fruits, different nuts, or different nut butters. It's all good. Mix, wrap, and enjoy!

Whisk together nut butter, sweetener, and sea salt. Pour into oat mixture, and mix well, until everything is sticky and combined. If it’s too dry, add a bit more agave.

Press mixture into a shallow baking dish that you’ve lined with foil or Saran Wrap. Cover with more foil/plastic wrap, press well into the baking dish, and refrigerate for four hours. Cut into bar shapes, wrap, and keep refrigerated till ready to use. They will last two weeks in the fridge.

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Green Smoothie With Avocado

A little avocado goes a long way in a smoothie, lending a pillowy, silky smooth texture that words can't really do justice to. Try it for yourself, and see if you don't get hooked!

Late in the day, when your natural energy reserves are running low, it can be really hard to resist yet another quick cup of Joe. But, no need to feel guilty — new findings suggest that extra cup might be protecting your liver from happy hours to come, reports The Daily Mail. The Continuous Update Project's read

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In the constant battle to eat your greens, these wraps make waging war a lot less necessary. Leave the processed and refined bread products at the store and opt for nutrient-rich collard greens to up your lunch crunch game. Loaded with vegetables, plant-based protein, and tons of fiber, these wraps will fend off any read